


It was a Choice

by hope-for-olicity (Jacq)



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 20:36:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9921245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacq/pseuds/hope-for-olicity
Summary: Post 5x14 fic about what may have been going through Felicity and Oliver's minds just prior and after that magnificent scene in the lair.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are the property of Arrow.

Felicity sat in front of her computers. She is suppose to be running searches to help track down Prometheus but all she can think about is what she and Thea discovered about Susan Williams.

 

When Thea arrived yesterday it was like a breath of fresh air. Felicity had been alone most of the day. Lately she felt like she was alone all the time. Thea and she had developed a special bond in the last year, especially since Laurel’s death. As the only two girls on the team they stuck together.

 

Felicity understood fully why Thea chose to leave the team but that didn’t mean she missed her any less. So when she arrived she had to admit she was a little too happy to see her. And then Thea told her about Susan asking Oliver if he was the Green Arrow. She had felt her world tilt a little. No. There was no way she would let Susan hurt Oliver. Just no.

 

Fear for Oliver had her hacking into Susan’s computer in seconds, it didn’t hurt that she was so easy to hack. If she felt unwell that Susan may suspect Oliver is the Green Arrow she felt her world unravel as the pictures from Oliver’s past appeared on her computer screen. Susan had proof of Oliver’s past with the Bratva, she knew he was a captain. This was not good. She was actually so freaked out that when Thea said why don’t you let me take care of it from here, she could do nothing but nod. She made a choice to let Thea handle Susan. She knew given her current state of mind she could not.

 

Felicity had not been sleeping well for a while now but this did not help, she still felt a sense of panic that Susan was going to expose Oliver. Sadly, Felicity also felt that she couldn’t talk to anyone about this without looking like the jealous ex-fiance. Why did Oliver have to have such bad taste in women and given how she was behaving lately she was including herself in this list.

 

She really hoped Thea took care of this. She was Moria Queen’s daughter, right? If anyone could protect her family it was Moria.

 

She was so lost in thought, while continuing to run searches, that she didn’t hear Oliver until he was on the landing. And suddenly he was lording over her.

 

Gulp. Why did he have to look so amazingly sexy when he was mad. She didn’t fear him, she knew he would never hurt her but she knew he was mad. And yet she was so drawn to him. They had been together in almost a year yet her body gravitated toward him. She reached out. Couldn’t help it really - she had to touch him even if it was on with a finger, for a second. But she quickly pulled back.

 

She tried to calm him down to find out what was wrong. “Did you hack Susan Williams computer?” he asked.

 

She couldn’t lie. Really she wouldn’t lie. There was no reason. So she told him the truth, that Thea was concerned that Susan was about to expose him as Green Arrow so she hacked Susan’s computer to see what evidence she had. And it was so much worst than Thea had thought.

 

Truly she had been dumbstruck. How could Susan have dug up all this information? Felicity never trusted that woman. But she ignored that feeling, pushed it down because she thought it was just jealousy and Oliver deserved to move on. He deserved to be happy. But now what had she done? She should have watch Susan more closely. Instead she chose to stay out of it and now Oliver is standing in front of her asking if she hacked Susan’s computer.

 

As soon as Felicity told Oliver that she had helped Thea hack Susan’s computer and Thea took it from there, Oliver seemed to be able to breath. Though clearly, he was upset with Thea.  

 

She tried to tell him Thea was only looking out for him. They were both looking out for him. Susan was a reporter who was about to expose all his secrets. But Oliver was in no mood to hear. He left saying he had to talk to Thea.

 

Felicity sat back down at her computer. What had Thea done? Why couldn’t Oliver see they were just trying to protect him?

 

  
_________________________  


 

From the moment Susan said her computer had been hacked Oliver feared it was Felicity. She no longer seemed to care about crossing lines. Every since Russia, he planned to talk to her and now it might be too late.

 

If he was honestly with himself, he didn’t want to ask because he thought she wouldn’t tell him and then he’d have to push and he honestly had no idea how she would react to that.

 

Felicity had been off for months. At first he excused it as being her reaction to Havenrock, he suggested she talk to someone right after it happened but she shut him down. And later if he asked if she was okay she always said yes or avoided the question. Of course he knew she was lying but he was her ex-fiance maybe she just didn’t want to talk to him.

 

But it felt like she was drifting further and further away.  There was more now, something had changed. Every since she was able to get the information to free Diggle. She said it was a long story. Everytime Felicity used that phrase Oliver knew she was avoiding telling him something - and yet he didn’t push.

 

Now there a strong possibility she ruined a woman’s career, hell, her professional life. What was she thinking? Was she jealous? No, she had told him to move, even encouraged. Felicity said she wasn’t leaving the door open for them. She moved on with Billy. Billy, he still felt he would never be able to make amends for killing an innocent man.  Felicity honestly didn’t seem to blame him for Billy’s death, which is something he really could not understand. Sure Prometheus had set him up but he, Oliver Queen, had fired the arrow.

 

All of this was still stewing in his head when arrived at the lair. He saw Felicity sat in front of her computers as soon as she arrived. He needed to know and he needed to know now. He could no longer play with kid gloves or allow her to avoid answering the question.

 

So he decided to intimidate her the only way he knew how. By being near her. He knew it wouldn’t scare her. She knew him well enough to know he would never hurt her but it would make her a million kinds of uncomfortable - as it would him.

 

He rushed up to her and demanded to know if she hacked Susan William’s computer. And to her credit she didn’t even attempt to lie but she did try to explain herself. She was protecting him. Lately it seemed she was always trying to do things to protect him, if this were reversed she would be livid.

 

Felicity told him about all the stuff on Susan’s computer - evidence that he was the Green Arrow and a Bratva Captain. None of which was a shock to him as Susan had already confessed. Honestly, he wished it was more a shock, he so wanted to believe she was good even he heard the warning bells.

 

Felicity quickly explained her role and how Thea had told her she would take care of it. So Felicity had only supplied Thea with the means. He’d been so worried about Felicity, he hadn’t even thought to worry about his sister. He really needed to start paying closer attention. Starting now.

 

Oliver told Felicity he had to go talk to Thea. This had to be dealt with now. How could his baby sister do this? How did he let it get this far that she would make a choice to destroy someone to protect him. What was she thinking?

 

As he was leaving the lair he looked back at Felicity. She looked tired. Like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. He saw her. Felicity thought she was fooling everyone with her positive perky demeanor but he saw her and he would be back.

 

He was making a choice to be there for his sister right now but this conversation with Felicity wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.  

  
Because in the end it wasn’t that a woman’s career was ruined, it was that the women in his life made the choice to do so to protect him.


End file.
